'Glaring errors' of forensic officers in Meredith Kercher case

'Glaring errors' of forensic officers in Meredith Kercher case

'Glaring errors' of forensic officers in Meredith Kercher case

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Amanda Knox

Appeal: Amanda Knox at the hearing in Perugia today. The American is serving 26 years in prison

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Meredith Kercher

Victim: Meredith Kercher was found semi-naked with her throat cut

Appeal: Amanda Knox at the hearing in Perugia today. The American is serving 26 years in prison

Police forensic scientists involved in the Meredith Kercher murder case made a series of glaring errors during their investigation, the appeal trial of Amanda Knox heard today.

Knox, 24, is serving 26 years for the sex killing of Coulsdon student Miss Kercher, 21, who was found semi-naked with her throat cut in the bedroom of the house the pair shared in 2007.

Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 26, were convicted on two key pieces of evidence, a 30cm kitchen knife and a clasp from Miss Kercher's bra. Their original trial heard how DNA from Miss Kercher was found on the knife blade and that of Knox was found on the handle, while DNA from Sollecito was said to be on the clasp.

But today the pair's appeal in Perugia heard from two independent experts, professors Carla Vecchiotti and Stefano Conti, who were damning in their appraisal of the methods used by police forensic teams.

Professor Conti showed a brief clip of two officers collecting the bra clasp - pointing out how it had been found six weeks after the murder and in a different place. There were gasps from the public gallery as the two officers were seen picking up the clasp, passing it from hand to hand, dropping it, picking it up and then placing it on the floor again. Professor Conti said that although gloves were worn, dirt marks could clearly be seen on the thumb and forefinger of one of the officers and he said: "We can see from these circumstances proper protocol was not followed."

With regard to the knife, Professor Vecchiotti said tests had showed negative for blood on the knife and that the DNA said to have been Miss Kercher's was so low it could not be examined again with any conclusion.

The court is due to give its verdict on the appeal of Knox and Sollecito in September. A third defendant, small-time drug dealer Rudy Guede, was also jailed in connection with the killing.